1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus attached to a vehicle to serve as a work area. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fold down tailgate for use on truck-like vehicles which may serve as a workbench and other useful functions.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It is a common need today in construction trades to provide a stable and reliable work area at an outdoor construction site. Although portable workbenches are regularly employed, these units usually either are bulky and hard to transport and set up, or are compact but of limited size and strength for large construction projects.
Although pickup trucks, station wagons, utility vehicles and other truck-like vehicles regularly have fold-down rear tailgates which may serve as a rudimentary work surface, normal tailgates are not designed and constructed for such use. Conventional tailgates generally do not provide a flat work surface or ready means to permit attachment of tools, clamps or other implements which may be employed at a job site. Additionally, conventional fold-down tailgates normally have minimal bracing to maintain a level work surface--necessarily limiting the weight of material which can be supported thereon.
Perhaps in recognition of these problems, a number of possible solutions have been proposed to provide a reliable work area in conjunction with a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,306, issued to Linder Mar. 1, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,088, issued to Chudik Feb. 19, 1991, each disclose fold out work area for attachment to a truck bed. More modest table devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,422, issued to Zelin Apr. 10, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,526, issued to Blatt Dec. 19, 1989.
Similarly, various equipment storage devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,158, issued to Mercer Oct. 29, 1974, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,315, issued to Cherry Nov. 10, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,195, issued to Fletcher Dec. 6, 1988, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,437, issued to Cherry Apr. 10, 1990. Finally, a number of solutions have been suggested for providing ramps to ease the loading of equipment into a truck, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,582, issued to Streeter Feb. 27, 1979, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,838, issued to Slater Dec. 5, 1989.
Although the above devices may function adequately for their stated purposes, it is believed that none is a fully satisfactory solution for the need of providing a simple and heavy duty remote work area. Additionally, each of these devices appears to have limited utility, requiring multiple units to provide most common utility functions (e.g. cargo ramps, work table, secure surface for fastening and operating electric equipment, etc.). Moreover, none of these devices provide a work area without consuming cargo space and adding needless weight and complexity to the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a easily transportable workbench for use on truck-like vehicles which adds minimal weight to the vehicles and consumes little or no vehicle cargo space.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a workbench which is heavy duty and will readily and reliably support a number of projects regardless of weight or severe operational demands.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a workbench which may be easily modified for a variety of other purposes, such as serving as cargo ramps, providing extended work areas, and providing ready tie-downs for equipment and material.
These and other objects of the present invention will become evident from review of the following specification.